Black and Golddust makes himself known for the final time this season. He's going...ahem...balls out against the Cards.
Time to leave it all out there, fellas. We're playing for a ring.
Go Steelers!
Big props to the incomparable twoeightnine for finding this awesome Steelers fan. With the big game only days away, she's about to work the shit outta those pom-poms.
From her Pogo (really?) profile:
BottledBlonde822
Age: 48
Gender: all woman
Location: Would you know if I said Luv ya Black and Gold?
Occupation: Pretty good (ed. - ?)
Relationship: In LOVE with a wonderful younger man!!! :)
ALL woman, hmm? And loves younger dudes? From Pittsburgh?
/logs off internet
/makes way from manhattan back to pittsburgh
/holds up sign saying "i love older women who play word whomp"
This looks Photoshopped as hell, but that won't stop me from using it. The two chicks in the back both get their own...
...Hey, baby. Hey, baby.
The first half of this link dump is going to be ridiculously self-serving. Just warning you:
I took part in MPIE. [OFTOT]
My socks are at Sean's place. [Sean's Ramblings]
Yesterday's MPotD, I linked to a list of blogger Twitters. Here's another badass list that I'm on courtesy of my buddy Rockabye. Follow my Twitter here. [The Arena]
Stacy Keibler has broken my heart. She picks the Cards. [Moondog Sports]
Super Bowl WAG trivia contest. [The World of Isaac]
David Wells hates Joe Torre? [Josh Q. Public]
...but Mike Tomlin rules.
Best. Picture. Ever?
h/t Wingman Blog and Deadspin
With all the weird Steelers parody songs you've probably heard the past week or so, it's nice to go back to basics. On the Melodica.
Try and hate on that instrument. That takes some serious skill and lung power.
Jeez, I'm not gonna make it to Sunday. I'm starting to get all anxious and shit.
GO STEELERS!
Back when I planned to liveblog Puppy Bowl V, I had no idea that the Steelers would make it to the Super Bowl. Now, my Super Bowl Sunday is shaping up to be the busiest, most hectic day ever.
But maybe that's what I need.
I've been pretty level-headed throughout the past week and a half, making it through the bye week relatively unscathed and ready for Sunday to be here like never before. But the nerves are creeping in as the Super Bowl gets closer. I might be an absolute trainwreck on Sunday.
So my Puppy Bowl liveblog will be a great way to calm down and watch some badass, cute baby dogs do their thing on a fake football field. Water-bowl cam for life!
Really, I just wanted to remind you that the Puppy Bowl liveblog is still on as scheduled...Sunday, February 1, from 3-5 PM. I've never liveblogged anything before, and Puppy Bowl seems to be a tough act to start out on. I'll be updating my thoughts on the Steelers as well, but here's what the liveblog is probably gonna look like:
3:05 PM: Dude, check out that one puppy!
3:07 PM: That other puppy rules.
3:10 PM: Those one puppies are playing so hard.
3:15 PM: Getting more nervous about the Cardinals.
3:20 PM: Puppies SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
3:24 PM: That gray puppy is my new favorite!
3:30 PM: Whoa, did you see that one puppy jump?
So yeah, it's going to be a challenge, but I'll be ready. I do hope you'll join me, right here at PSAMP, on Sunday. I'll be firing up the liveblog sometime between 2:30 and 3 PM.
Puppies SQUEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!
**UPDATE** Puppy Bowl V Liveblog Thread is Posted Here.
Thanks to reader Kate for these pics. She snapped 'em while in Paris. I'm in Amerca, freezing both of my asscheeks off, not looking at real mini animals.
And for Doug, the chick in the puffy white jacket gets a...
...Hey, baby!
Whetev. On to the links:
The feel-good stories of the Super Bowl. [OFTOT]
You guys know I'm on Twitter, right? Apparently, I'm the Mario Lemieux of sports blogs to follow. [Hail Mary Jane]
Epic rant about the stupidity of the Pirates' new unis. [We Should Be GM's]
Things you won't see in this year's Super Bowl. [No Guts, No Glory]
Economic woes affecting Super Bowl ads? [Moondog Sports]
Andre Iguodala posterized the shit outta Yao Ming. [NESW Sports]
It's amazing how much a unique-looking fatass like Ben Roethlisberger looks like so many weird people. Remember Ben in Rock Band 2?
Well, Ben also resembles a dude on one of my favorite shows, Human Wrecking Balls on G4. The HWBs are Paul and Craig Pumphrey, dudes who have made their name by, well, breaking things with their bodies. Craig is a balding oldass, but his younger brother Paul, known for his shoulder ram, is a complete monster.
The premise of the show is to let these guys go up against man-made things like airplanes, cars, offices, bars, movie theaters...and just try and destroy everything with only their fists, feet, shoulders, heads, etc. More or less, the show kicks major ass.
Paul (above, right), also bears a striking similarity to Big Ben Roethlisberger. If Big Ben can axe-kick, punch or shoulder ram through the Cardinals on Sunday, the metamorphosis is complete.
Badass video below will let you non-watchers in on the sweetness of this show. Oh, and new episode tonight at 10:30 PM. I really can't wait.
Nice...fence? And...
...Hey, baby.
Jeff Reed came in to media day with his old gang. [The Sports Hernia]
The Cards got a liiiitle handsy at media day. [OFTOT]
Hey, cool Steve Nash man-shrine, dude! [The Sports Culture]
The Super Bowl means super eating. [Intentional Foul]
The "integrity" of football reporting. [Awful Announcing]
Yellow Gatorade is my shit, too. [DC Steeler Nation]
Congrats to NC State senior Ben McCauley for scoring his 1,000th career point in tonight's thrilling 84-81 OT win over Miami. Hope that's something to scream about.
Ben was a few years younger than me in high school. Always nice to see a fellow grad from that tiny school make some noise.
He was good at ping-pong.
Oh, yeah, the Steelers are playing the Cardinals.
Here's my best two MSPaints involving Arizona. I rule so hard.
The above one is from this post. The one below is from here.
I know Tampa isn't really cold, but if this dude can somehow tweak his invention to serve beer, he'd be the hit of any Super Bowl XLIII tailgate.
Some inventions are downright crazy. Octa-bongs, motorized beer coolers, wiffle bats as beer cups...they do little more than blow your mind. This guy had some damn initiative, using 4 1/2 hours to make something to keep him and his friends warm during cold Steelers pre-games.
I don't know if I'd go with the name Thirstbuster, though. I usually only drink hot chocolate to warm myself up, not to quench my thirst. Now, if he can rig up a liquor or beer tap (maybe even some Kool-Aid or something else, too), then that beast is a definite Thirstbuster. For now, I'd stick with HotLiquidGunPack or something.
And that's why I'm not an inventor/namer.
Wow...I'm never going to run out of badass pictures of mini ponies. This one might be the cutest ever.
I'll shut down the blog when I exhaust the Internet's supply.
Supply these links to your eyes:
Rich Eisen ain't down. [OFTOT]
More Stanford Tree goodness. [The Sports Culture]
Gary Payton says Kevin Garnett isn't an All-Star? [NESW Sports]
Steelers Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert IS a monster and deserves a ton of credit. No joke, Steve. [Steve is Alive]
Madden 09 picks the Steelers. I played my sister on Sunday...I was the Steelers, she was the Cards. I won, too. I also beat her 91-85, and had 948 yards passing and 10 TDs with Donovan McNabb and the Eagles. [Sportsocracy]
Alex Rodriguez at a Florida State frat party in 1998. Awwwful lotta whiteys in that picture. [Deadspin]
Big thanks to my buddy Eric, formerly of one of my favorite, now-defunct sites, Extrapolater and now of the fantastic Storming the Floor for tipping me off about my inclusion in ESPN the Mag's "The Next: Site to Bookmark" thingy.
This doesn't change things, ESPN. One link won't redeem the entire company. But it is a nice gesture. I certainly didn't expect it.
So I'm Next, fools. I guess soon, I'll be Now, and in a few years, Forgotten.
I'm swamped at work, so you're gonna have to deal with very little commentary on this video. From what I can tell, I have stiff competition in the Best MSPaint category. This one is clean as hell.
I've been vanquished.
Go Steelers.
Big boy in the back is confused by the group of minis.
Link time:
Oh, the Cardinals... [OFTOT]
I hate the Spurs, too. [Lake Show Life]
The economy is affecting sports. [Moondog Sports]
Case study: Miro Satan. [The Pensblog]
What's up with this Torre book? [Larry Brown Sports]
What color Gatorade will be dumped on the Super Bowl-winning coach? [Stock Lemon]
Remember when James Harrison used to be number 42? As in, before he was cut by the team and signed to the practice squad in 2002?
I only post this because my buddy Bob and I love the numbers 14 and 42 for some reason. Makes us giggle. They're just fun numbers to say.
Pre-Silverback is plotting his eventual conquest of the DMVP award.
Oh Manny, if only you understood blue screen technology.
Living in Queens, we get a bunch of crazy public access shows, some even about sports. Ghetto Sports with Manny is one of 'em, and they're always fun to watch when nothing else is on.
And some days, you get the hosts showing up in blue shirts while they stand in front of blue screen technology. The result ends up being a detached head and a floating HARLEM script.
Thanks to my brother-in-law Matt for the screenshot.
Whoever took this picture did so at the perfect time. Look at that hair wave! Little kid knows it.
After you look at it for a few minutes, look at these links:
Hines Ward will have his hyperbaric chamber in Tampa. Phew. [OFTOT]
10 reasons the Steelers can't lose the Super Bowl. [Five Tool Tool]
10 most valuable sports franchises. Glad the Patriots, 'Skins, Cowboys, Giants, Jets and Texans are all still playing. [Moondog Sports]
Megan Fox as Lara Croft? I'll allow it. [Sharapova's Thigh]
Sid's out of the All-Star Game. [The Pensblog]
Yeah, I'll give props to Alonzo Mourning, who retired...again. [4th and Fail]
It seems like everyone is trying to find some sort of angle to over-expose to the media with the Super Bowl on the horizon. Pittsburgh trying to be the first franchise to win 6 rings, Ben vs. Whis, and Whis vs. Tomlin. We're all guilty of it, because there's only so much you can talk about when you have two weeks until the game.
The Whis vs. Tomlin debate is cool, only because both guys are young, up-and-coming coaches who took very different paths to their current positions, and both have their teams in the big game after only two seasons of work.
But today, I'm not trying to find a certain angle, or give a Tomlin > Whis post. Today, I just want to give props.
2 years ago on this very day, we learned that the Steelers bypassed offensive line coach Russ Grimm for no-name Mike Tomlin out of Minny. The move was questioned by more than a few people, seeing as how the young Tomlin was barely older than the guys he'd be coaching. And he had no head coaching experience.
Tomlin has quieted nearly everyone (including his team) on his way to successive AFC North division titles and a Super Bowl berth. If you saw any of this coming on this day back in 2007, please leave because you're lying.
I was a senior at St. Vincent College when I found out the news, and I was cautiously optimistic about the hire. I tried to get any positives out of it...mainly focusing on the parallels between the young, defensive-minded outside-of-the-organization Tomlin to the young, defensive-minded outside-of-the-organization Cowher back in 1992. While I hoped for the best, any worries I had were quickly thrown out the window when, just days after the hire, I briefly met Tomlin at St. Vincent, while he personally went over every minute detail of his first training camp location as a head coach. The man went everywhere, from the weight room to the locker rooms, to the caf...trying to find out every detail about this odd Benedictine campus that was about to host tons of athletes, staff and media.
To me, that was a perfect way to introduce himself to the Steelers faithful. Tomlin could've easily sent some no-name to scope the place for him, but there he was, hands-on and elbows-deep from the get-go. I knew right then that Tomlin had a special quality, one that would go over well with the hard-working Steelers fan...regardless of the new coach's experience, coaching philosophy, race, age or strategy.
Oh, and my best friend Bob and I kept calling him Mike Epps and Omar Tomlin...so I'll take credit for being one of the original Pittsburghers to make the Omar Epps comparison.
But in all honesty, with such a big game looming and way too many attempts to demonize players and teams, I figured the 2 year anniversary of Tomlin's hiring was a good enough reason to praise the man who has done so much in so little time.
Cool dog and pony show.
Chocolate Terrible Towels? Ok! [OFTOT]
I kinda need this beer-fetching robot. [Moondog Sports]
Nene is getting married, so Chris Webber and Gary Payton give him grief. [NESW Sports]
Vern shits all over some asshole Patriots writer who doesn't know shit. [You Lay on the Ice Like a Broad!]
The Browns are doing well. 40 people, or 25% of their staff, will be laid off. [Cleveland Plain Dealer]
Good question. Will Jeff Kent or Barry Bonds get into the HOF first? [Larry Brown Sports]
Troy inspired me. Pick-6 is my slogan for the Super Bowl run.
Go Steelers!
Welcome to the All-Star break, Penguins fans. Or should I say, Penguins haters?
Your team sits at 23-21-4, 4th place in the 5-team Atlantic Division and 1 point out of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. The team that played for the Stanley Cup last season has 34 games to change their fate.
What I don't get is the horde of supposed Penguins fans who are constantly shitting on the team to this point. Don't get me wrong, this team has underperformed on a massive scale, but the recent good fortunes on Pittsburgh ice has seemingly created a ton of pretentious douchebag "fans." Since the team assembled their young core and created a positive outlook with a new arena on the way, the sentiment around the fan base seems to be, "win now or get booed." To which I say, "eat me."
It was only 3 years ago that the team put up the second of back-to-back 58 point seasons. 23 wins (which we currently have) was the better of the two years (23 wins, followed the next year by just 22). Sure, the current 9th place standing in the East doesn't accurately reflect the team that won the conference last year, but that doesn't mean the season is over.
I was talking to some blogging friends yesterday about the Steelers, the Super Bowl and how excited we are that our team is in the championship. I made a point that this year, we don't have the same pressures that the team faced just 3 seasons ago in Super Bowl XL. There's no Bettis' last year drama, the quest for the 5th ring noise or Bill Cowher-trying-to-justify-his-career nonsense. There's a decent percentage of the team that played in that Super Bowl, so this current group can actually enjoy being on football's biggest stage. And the fans can, too.
Now look back at last year's Cup run for the Pens and the drama that preceded the season. Crosby had a contract negotiation coming up, the team leaving-town rumors were still fresh in our minds, Geno, Staal and MAF were all looking at near-expiring contracts and the team hadn't won anything of significance in 15 years or so. Now, the team has all four guys I just mentioned locked up, a new arena on the way, and the motivation of losing in the Cup finals.
So why the hate when the team struggles?
I've been a Penguins fan for as long as I can remember, and I've never seen a perfect season. Hell, in the beginning of this decade, the seasons were as far from perfect as you could get. But now, there's hope...there's a legit future. The "fans" that have come on board in the last 2-3 years are starting to outnumber those of us that realize that a deep Cup run won't come every year. Despite our stacked lineup, the possibility of making it back to the finals in successive years was still very slim. Other teams got better, too...not just the Pens.
This year, I've heard fans boo at home losses. I've heard bullshit questions about Sid being past his prime. All because the team hasn't lived up to expectations this year. So what? If you automatically penciled the Pens into the Cup finals this year based on last year's performance, go die in a fire. Most of the largest questions concerning this team have been answered. The core has new contracts, the relocation is a thing of the past and the team has proven that it can do damage in the playoffs. So enjoy the ups AND DOWNS of a normal freaking NHL season. We're 1 point out of a playoff slot with half a season to go and still without annual Norris Trophy finalist Sergei Gonchar.
So to the current haters out there...learn to relax. Success isn't guaranteed in any sport, much less in one as physical and draining as hockey. If you think a team with the top two scorers in the league can't do damage as an 8 seed, you should go jump on someone else's bandwagon. There's 34 games left, and only a slight improvement in performance will see this team in the playoffs. Take pride in the positives, and quit overreacting to the negatives, fellow Penguins "fans."
Nice! Old-school western midget cowboys riding mini horses. I'll allow it.
I'll allow these links for the most part, too:
Happy 21st birthday to Lori. [Hockey, Football and Stiletto Shoes]
Idiot Cards fans burned McNabb's yard at his home in Arizona. [OFTOT]
Moondog doubts there'll be a government-mandated CFB playoff. [Moondog Sports]
ESPN's way of fixing Sunday Night Baseball is to add Steve Phillips? Vom. [Sharapova's Thigh]
Some figure skater wants to be a model. [Randball]
Mike Tyson at Sundance. [Sports Crackle Pop]
Look, I'm a pretty badass, hardcore, diehard, any-other-similar-adjective kinda Steelers fan, but I'd like to think my style doesn't come off as acid-trip inducing. I love the team as much as the next guy, but there's certain limits.
As in, lay off the Alvin and the Chipmunks voice.
I'll give props to the guy for being that devoted to the team. Hell, I'll even respect the A-Ha, Take On Me graphics. But at what point does it become too much? I think that point is where there's two of the same guy talking to himself.
Or it might just be the drugs talking.
G-go Steelers? G-go Steelers?
HOLY WEIRD HORSE! I still can't place what dude's problem is.
It can't be these links:
The second part of Kobe's viral Ankle Insurance video. [NESW Sports]
I'm cool with Alba and Hayden. [Sharapova's Thigh]
Jerry Jones is an idiot. Dallas wants to pay way too much for Ray Lewis next year. Hahaha. [Ravens Insider]
Hartford wants an NHL team again. [SPORTSbyBROOKS]
Arizona's trick play. [Larry Brown Sports]
Terry Bradshaw and the NFL on Fox guys party for the end of the season. [Awful Announcing]
My words cannot adequately do the win justice. At some point, I'll end up stumbling over my words and just shout out a, "PITTSBURGH'S GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL! WOOOOO!!"
So here's all your memories from the thrilling 23-14, AFC Conference-winning game.
Santonio's Touchdown
Ryan Clark's hit on Willis McGahee
Limas Sweed destroys Corey Ivy
Troy's interception
Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger Post-Game Presser
Happy MLKjr day. Yes, I see the goat.
I'm still all hopped up from the big win. We are going back to the Super Bowl. Can you believe it?
Links:
Cotter's take on the win. [OFTOT]
Pens won yesterday, too. [The Pensblog]
Pre-Arlovski interview for Fedor. [Fanhouse]
So what about the Pirates talking to Pedro Martinez? [WHYGAVS]
Are WAGs bad role models? No. [Kickette]
Steelers playoffs MVPs. LaMarr and...Santonio. [DC Steeler Nation]
Guys, we just punched our ticket to the Super Bowl with that 23-14 win. Through the long year, countless injuries and a ridiculous schedule, our Steelers kept doing work to ensure that the Hunt trophy made it to Pittsburgh.
And now the team is about to do everything in its power to respect the honor of the Hunt trophy, and represent the AFC as only the Steelers can.
Look, you know how the team did, I know how the team did...so there's gonna be no real rankings. We just won the AFC, so any negative rankings would be stupid. While there were a few bonehead plays (and calls), the end result went as well as could be expected.
Take some time to let it all sink in, 'cos this is about to be a long-ass two weeks. Hit up the comments section with anyone you wanna praise or hate on, I don't care. Santonio, Ben, Berger, Troy? Every one of 'em contributed something on a cold night in January, which will hopefully pay huge dividends on a warm night in Tampa in February.
Thanks for a fantastic season, Steelers. Do work once more!
Your Pittsburgh Steelers are AFC Champions! 23-14 Pittsburgh over Baltimore.
In honor of the win, Gavin is checking in with some Steelers love from the Great Wall.
GO STEELERS!
I'm hurt up from Cotter's birthday party.
Watch this. Then watch the game.
Go Steelers!
OFTOT has it, too.
Waking up all hungover at 1 in the afternoon is only badass when you get an email and video from dear friend Gavin in China. Here's what I got:
It's Tian'anmen Square. You have to wake up early to get a bus to _____ (the last one leaves at 10 am) or you end up taking a very expensive cab because it is 2 hours away. I'm gonna head out there tomorrow, hopefully. I mean, I'm not gonna drink tonight, so I should be able to get up early.
Hmmm, what's the blank part? Is that a tease?
I guess you'll find out eventually.
Go Steelers.
LAST CHANCE TO DOOKIE ON THE AFC! BLACK & GOLDDUST IS READY! ARE YOU?
Go Steelers! So hard!
Need any more proof that Lawrence Timmons is a badass? Check out how grounded he is as a player and as a human. Here's a few excerpts from his blog, which was just updated after the Chargers win.
On his team and the playoffs:
"You can see how the playoffs are different, especially with a veteran team like we have. Everyone takes the game so serious, everyone plays so perfectly. People are way more emotional, and the older guys on this team have always shown the way. That's why I love this team so much. No matter who a guy is, if he was drafted in the first round, second round, whatever, the older guys take it like its their job to make us better.
They say that in the playoffs, the team that makes more mistakes is the team that goes home. So they've been hard on us young guys. During the bye week they had me, Wood, a lot of the younger guys taking all the reps so we condition ourselves not to make mistakes. That's helped a lot. When they put that much work in us, you can tell they really care about us, you know?"
On his own criticisms of his play:
"I think I've done pretty well so far but I missed so many sacks in the San Diego game. I definitely haven't peaked yet as a player, I need to work on second moves on the rush and I definitely want to make more big plays. Against San Diego I had the opportunity to strip the quarterback one time but I just missed. That would have been a big play and would have saved a field goal. I also could have blocked a kick, I came so close.
Guess I just need to finish stronger."
On the Ravens:
"Against Baltimore we've got to really study, because we've already played them twice and we know everything about each other. We have to see what they've been doing since our last game against them. It's going to be a tough game, but if we stick to our game plan, do what we do, we'll be fine."
And check out his motivation:
"My son will be in the stands, watching. He's only 8 months old but he's about 25 pounds. He just took 8 or 9 steps the other day. He'll be up there watching, and it'll be a good feeling knowing he's up there and we're playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl."
We forget that Lawrence is SO YOUNG. The dude won't be 23 until May, and he has a better understanding of his life and job than any of us. Guaranteed. If you're worried about the game, just remember that a young player like Lawrence is directly influenced, as he said, by the vets on the team. That quiet confidence is apparent in the entire defense, from LeBeau down to the smallest of role players.
Who Dey? What's Our Name? Lawrence and his teammates don't subscribe to that bullshit.
I guess the Pittsburgh Zoo didn't take too kindly to the fact that stupid Ravens fans were trying to snake our idea of getting team support from animals.
So we got elephants and sea lions, bitches!
At first, I'm thinking, "What does an elephant eating a Here We Go, Steelers sign have to do with supporting the team?" Then, I quit caring about that part because sea lions start furiously twirling Terrible Towels with their mouths. So I smiled really hard and forgot about the sign.
I can watch those sea lions spin around about a million more times. This has severely lessened my anxiety about the upcoming game.
Thanks to Sheena for pointing this out. Apparently, it's from some SNL skit about mini horses as pets or something. Sure. SNL is just about as relevant as ESPN, so I'm not really up to date on the latest skits.
Still, cool mini horse reference.
These links are better than SNL:
Um...what? [OFTOT]
One of my long-time favorites...Catherine Bell. [Moondog Sports]
The Dugout was one of my favorite sites before they moved to Fanhouse. However, they showed that they can still bring the funny even though they aren't allowed to swear anymore. [Fanhouse]
BIG high five to the pilot of the airplane that crashed into the Hudson River. [CNN]
Check out this candid picture of the crash. Shit. [Flickr]
Watch this short video, then read the 7th comment. [With Leather]
ESPN has sucked for awhile, but I've still gone to it as a somewhat-reliable sports-news source.
Heh.
Right now, the lead story on the .com is some bullshit, factless piece of turd article about former Steelers doctor Richard Rydze and his connection with HGH. A year and a half after the story's been dead. And 3 days before the Steelers play in the AFC Championship game.
And in the middle of the article is a reminder to watch the Outside the Lines report on Rydze. I hope Bob Ley skips that taping out of protest.
You self-serving assholes at ESPN have completely corrupted the entity that had such a high ceiling back in 1979.
How can anyone in their right minds read such an obvious shit-stirring article and come off believing that ESPN is still an impartial third party? Tomorrow, will we all be subjected to more stories about Ray Lewis stabbing someone? Saturday will be the reminder that Dan Rooney's other brothers are into gambling. And right before the game, we'll learn that James Harrison was arrested for assault!
When does it stop? When does ESPN stop these blatantly pathetic stories to push pageviews? The blogosphere gets way too much credit for being the bad guys that are cluttering up the tubes with nonsense. Maybe we learned it from from someone even worse.
If you want to believe that Richard Rydze somehow helped this #1 ranked defense, then go right ahead. But to have it as the lead story with no more evidence than a hunch...that's just downright despicable. Don't look at the other side, where a proactive owner parted ways with a doctor before any asinine allegations like these could float around. We heard your disgusting take 2 years ago, and again when the issue proved to have no significance a year and a half ago.
I allege that Rodney Harrison was selling HGH to all of his Patriots teammates before he served his 4-game suspension for the drug. Not really, but I basically just gave you what you'll get from bullshit ESPN.com writer Mike Fish in that article.
Sorry if I'm not really staying on topic or anything, but there's only so much a man can write with a certain level of rage flowing through his veins. How about stick to the sports, ESPN, instead of the nonsense.
Or just go away.
Cotter's birthday is today. So, time to break out my standard birthday video.
Ignore the "belated" part.
That song kicks ass.
Happy birthday.
One of our favorite big-armed pass rushing OLBs was on NFL Live last night, talking about something, something, something, blah blah blah football.
Oh, it was LaMarr Woodley, and I was too distracted by his annoyingly loud Tapout shirt that I failed to pay attention to what he was saying. Probably had to do with the Ravens, or the playoffs, or something of that ilk.
Really, LaMarr? Tapout? You couldn't find any Ed Hardy shirts instead? I don't know how you guys do it back in Michigan, but I don't usually associate the Steelers with douchebag shirts. Get yourself some Carhartt if you wanna fit it.
Or I guess LaMarr thought the AFC Championship was played in some Staten Island club. He's young and hasn't been to this level of the game before, so I guess I'll let it slide.
Sea cow. Fatass.
/jim gaffigan'd
Honestly, mini dude needs to lose some weight. Looks like he's eating a regular horse's portion.
And then there's the links:
Happy birthday to Cotter. [OFTOT]
MUST READ**. I always admired Evan Tanner as a fighter. Take a minute and read this awesome piece about his compelling, and ultimately tragic, tale. MUST READ**. [Men's Journal]
I love Stacy Keibler. [Moondog Sports]
Kobe's new viral video. [NESW Sports]
Pens lost. Dammit. [The Pensblog]
RIP Ricardo Montalbon. [Hollywood Reporter]
A 5 hour interview?
LeBeau used those 5 hours to prepare for Baltimore.
Go Steelers.
Best feature ever? Best feature ever.
Gavin popped in with yet another Steelers fan-video from China. This time, we got Jack again, the same guy who toasted the 2008 NFL regular season with a unique flair.
Jack became a hit with his original toast, making it to Deadspin and beyond. I asked Gavin to get Jack to send a greeting along to Deadspin, which Jack does at the beginning of the vid (Dead-pin?).
Good news, though, Jack has more words of encouragement for the Steelers! We're going to "scrush" the Ravens! And we're China's team! Ridiculous.
It's destiny at this point, that the Steelers need to beat the Ravens so we can get more videos of Jack shitting on whoever Pittsburgh plays.
Yo Ravens fans...quit hopping on the bandwagon and trying to get dogs to legitimize your team. We've had several instances on PSAMP of dogs helping motivate the Steelers and their fanbase.
Now, some Baltimore jerks feel like its their turn to use man's best friend to their benefit. But instead of some harmless dry-humping, barking or howling, Ravens fans threaten their dogs with...death. This video's description says that "Wilbur would rather die than become a Steelers fan." A bit harsh, don't you think?
I love dogs. The worst I'd wish on a dog is maybe that it eats its own shit or something after it does something bad. Never death. Jeez.
But if we're gonna take this pre-AFC Championship Game trash-talk dog-fest to the next level, then we have to remember the video posted on PSAMP right after we beat the Ravens to win the division.
Go Steelers.
Gang war! Bloods mini ponies versus Crips mini ponies!
/contorts fingers to weird mini horse gang sign
These two guys are too badass for me. As are these links:
Know your enemy (if your enemy has male cheerleaders.) [OFTOT]
Hit this up if you're a sportsblogger with a Twitter. [Moondog Sports]
Here's the site, set up by my buds at HHR. [#sblog tweets]
More dookie conversations. [Sharapova's Thigh]
Pens win! [The Pensblog]
Former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader on The Bachelor. [SPORTSbyBROOKS]
We've got more fantastic video from my bud Gavin over in China. You may (should) remember Gavin from the 3,000 Chinese Steeler fans video, and the video of an old guy named Jack toasting the NFL season.
Since Gavin is a displaced fan with the biggest game of the year and potential Super Bowl bid coming up, he made sure to make his voice heard. Well, not exactly his voice, but you get what I'm going for.
Today, we have a 16 year old boy from Shenzhen, China, talking shit on the Ravens. Because when the Steelers need fired up, they should ALWAYS get China's opinion.
"The Ravens may play in Baltimore, but Steelers fans still think of them as the Browns, a sorry team." Oh, and Ray Lewis is an "over-the-hill criminal."
Couldn't have said it better myself, man.
Any Tibetan Ravens fans want to counter?
Is...is his hair frozen like that? Beard, too?
Old boy needs a Snuggie. And these links:
Gaah...jumping the gun! Thanks(?) to reader Sammi for that. [PA Super Bowl dot com]
Ray Lewis eats babies...and more Ravens hate. [OFTOT]
NBA blog power rankings. [With Malice]
The Pensblog is back to talking about hockey. Wooooo! [The Pensblog]
Lions fan burn! [Moondog Sports]
Old school/new school T-Mobile commercial. [NESW Sports]
The man (Youtube) took down the show, since we used "Cleveland Rocks" without permission. Or something like that.
That still doesn't kill the outtakes.
Fight the machine!
Watch this again at OFTOT.
I took this picture while we were taping the [Unnamed] Steelers Pregame Show on Saturday. Be sure to tune in to David Letterman at some point this week...Former Yankee Billy Crystal is doing something with a mini horse.
He should just read these links on air:
Cotter's take on the win. [OFTOT]
Why did the Broncos bring in another offensive genius? [Sharapova's Thigh]
Joey Graham is "The Wrestler." [Cuzoogle]
The SEC still has a bright future. [Moondog Sports]
A few weekend images. [HHR]
Tony Dungy is a good man. Classy, classy individual. [Fox Sports]
Every win from here on out will probably be coupled with some sort of exclamation like, "What a win!" There are no shitty wins in the playoffs, and each victory is special in its own way.
Yesterday, the Steelers made it clear that they wanted no part of another 11-10 pissfest. The 35-24 final was actually a lot closer than the story of the game. We let the same thing happen as the last time we played San Diego...an early touchdown allowed followed by defensive dominance. Since it is the playoffs, you don't think about things like allowing the opposing QB to pass for over 300 yards when we allowed one TEAM to accumulate 300 in an entire game...you just take the win however you can get it.
I hope this win doesn't inflate the egos of the fans as the early season win against the Texans did. Everyone lauded our brilliance as a complete team, something that was again evident against the Chargers on Sunday night. But it takes one iffy game, especially now in the playoffs, to destroy any delusions of grandeur.
We're finishing up with the final few MMCNYs, so let's just get to the rankings.
Sasso. The critics have been officially silenced. Ben played like he's never been concussed, or the concussion gave him some superhero abilities. As in, Ben's concussion = Spider Man's radioactive spiderbite. I haven't seen Ben's passes so crisp in...well, ever. He's put together good passing performances before, but opposing fans are always quick to point to his lower-level play come playoffs. He let Willie run the ball about 700 times before he even threw a pass, and after a weak start, finished with respectable numbers and no turnovers. Ben executed the gameplan to perfection, so he gets a perfect 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets.
Willie. But Ben couldn't do everything that he did without Willie. 146 rush yards, 2 TDs and a 5.4 yard average. Willie looked like he was tired of all the Sproles-love from the past week, and wanted to remind the NFL that when healthy, he's one of the supreme ground talents in the game. Maybe I'm too awestruck by the win, or blinded by the fact that it's the playoffs, but I ave to open with 2 perfects. 5 of 5 motorcycle helmets. Now do that to Baltimore!
Santonio/Hines. Showed up! You look at Santonio's line and see 2 catches and a reverse. But then you remember that his punt return TD was our only offense for almost half of the game. After the O came to life, Hines made clutch grab after clutch grab, destroying third downs like they were nothing. Together, they had less than 100 yards combined receiving and no touchdown receptions, but their combined efforts really meant something in this game. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.
Berger. Yeah. That was a 48 yard average. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.
Defense. In the weirdest stat of all time, the D let Philip Rivers pass for over 300 yards, but kept the Chargers to only 290 yards of total offense. I guess that can be classified as a push...and the house wins on a push in Pittsburgh. Sproles did what he was going to do, and padded his stats with a nice long touchdown catch and run after the game was nearly decided. I'll look at holding the Chargers O to 1 offensive play in the third quarter, and the fact that we created turnovers when I'm relating this to our game for next week. The final word is that the D, while allowing a few yards, really limited the Chargers after the initial and potentially devastating scoring drive. 4 of 5 motorcycle helmets.
Home field advantage. We'll see you in Pittsburgh again, Baltimore!
Movin' on to the AFC Championship game!
Video is of Santonio's touchdown.
Go Steelers!
Finally.
We haven't had a show in awhile...the postseason hopefully brought out the best (worst?) in us.
Go Steelers.
Watch it again at OFTOT.
Time to wake Black and Golddust from his slumber.
Chargers suck!
Go Steelers!
Wow, I really don't know what to do with myself now that the Steelers have a game this weekend. Last weekend had me all sorts of pumped up for football, only to remember that we had a bye. I watched some football, found out who we were going to play, and immediately started thinking of Steelers/Chargers scenarios. But now the game is almost here. We could count down in hours if we really wanted to.
I'm out of the loop, though. It seems like it's been awhile since we saw the Steelers play, probably because all we've had to survive on is Ben Roethlisberger's concussion and why the hell he was bowling after the injury.
Then, my friend TheStarterWife reminded me about something totally sweet.
Only fairies cheer for the Chargers!
Come on now...we have some ridiculous characters at Heinz Field, but you wouldn't make it past the main gate without getting a royal beatdown if you wore fairy wings to the game.
So I trekked over to Youtube to find at least one thing that was cooler than fairy Chargers fans. The end result...wiener dogs are way cooler than fairy Chargers fans. Evidence is below.
Go Steelers.
Cotter started a music blog and I'm an idiot a contributor. Check out my latest post, and help me place what the sample is in the featured song.
Last month, we found a video of 3,000 Chinese people cheering for the Steelers in unison and posted it to the site. It was one of those things that boggles the mind, and something you don't really expect to see.
Well, I got in touch with the guy who led the cheer, a guy named Gavin, who is teaching English in China until sometime in June. Those were his students supporting Pittsburgh. He keeps a pretty badass blog of his time and experiences in the country, but its private, so there's no use linking to it.
Anyway, Gavin assured me that he's a legit Steelers fan, and promised to send along at least another video from China. That video is above. It is of a Chinese man named Jack toasting the 2008 NFL season. Because why wouldn't he?
I'm not gonna re-type everything he says, but he does give props to guys like Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan, teams like the Eagles and Cowboys, and especially the Steelers. Here's what he had to say about our team:
"To James Harrison, for playing like an animal. To the Steelers, for battling through injuries and the league's hardest schedule."
Actually, it was more of "hardest skey-jer." And they say Pittsburghers have accents. Really dude, we don't have a league called the NFAir.
Still, China is pretty much the other side of the world, so I'm impressed that Jack got it right for the most part.
Check out that countup timer in the top left of the sidebar.
<---- That way.
PSaMP has been online for 666 days. Thanks (?) to reader The White Boom Boom for pointing that out.
Today's MPotD comes from reader Damon from BetUS.com. I know I've used this picture many, many moons ago, but its a classic, and Damon's explanation was gold:
I’m not sure if it’s a close up of a rare, but fascinating, mini pony fight, or a candid look at a mini pony high five. You can decide, after all you’re the expert, I’m just a fan.
Kickass. I'd high five these links, too!
The Anchorman Photoshop in this post will haunt your memories. [OFTOT]
The 2009 Simoni Racing calendar is hot! [Moondog Sports]
Bill Cowher is better suited for broadcast right now. [The Good Point]
According to this guy, Eli is the better QB than Ben out of all the guys left in this year's playoffs. Sigh... [Rushing to Judgement]
Nice tat, Lions fan. [Intentional Foul]
Pensblog is upgrading. [The Pensblog]
